Thanks to the B.C. Liberals, this province is now the only jurisdiction in North America that squeezes local meat production right out of business. We now import almost all our meat in B.C.  With no evidence whatsoever that meat from provincial facilities was unsafe, Don Davidson, the point man on the Liberal’s Meat Industry “Enhancement” Strategy, accused B.C. farmers of hauling sick and dead animals to local abattoirs to be processed for human consumption. Instead of sending out inspectors on surprise inspections to see whether this was true, an expensive provincial inspection regime was forced onto the backs of B.C. meat-processors. It mirrors the top-heavy system used in huge, federally inspected facilities. You know… the same system that let the 2008 listeriosis outbreak at Maple Leaf slip by that resulted in 23 deaths. Yeah, that one!
  The Liberals picked a few winners and gave them grants and low-interest loans so they could purchase new computers, renovate their facilities by adding offices and showers for their new federal-provincial inspectors, and hire staff to keep up with all the new “safety” bureaucracy. Feel better yet?
  In spite of this generosity with your tax money, the Minister of Agriculture at the time, Pat Bell, and Premier Campbell still found they faced a backlash as provincial meat processors closed down in droves. So they decided to launch workshops through the Ministry of Health to promote local food!
  This was a brilliant political move since Health had nothing to do with the destruction of local food production that was being carried out simultaneously over in the Ministry of Agriculture. Ironically though, local meat production used to be the jurisdiction of provincial health authorities. But, citing cost-overruns, health authorities claimed they could no longer inspect the handful of meat processors in this province, even though they manage to keep a MUCH larger number of restaurants safe, along with daycares, swimming pools and drinking water systems. No matter. To save money, meat production was shifted from Health to Agriculture. And yet, miraculously, Health bureaucrats somehow managed to find money in their budgets to run the local food workshops that Bell and Campbell ordered.
  If you’re wondering how Health authorities know the food they’re promoting is actually local, safe and (the big money-maker) certified organic, well… it turns out there would be no surprise inspections, no tests, just piles of paperwork! While the Liberals cracked down on local meat, they were completely lackadaisical on all other forms of local food production. Gross negligence or fraud, it’s all perfectly acceptable as long as the appearance of “local food security” is upheld.
  Restaurants are inspected on a surprise basis with routine testing; why not farms? Didn’t this all start because local farmers were allegedly feeding carrion to the public? No matter…just fill out the paperwork, pay your damn fees and everything will be fine! Imagine if daycares, swimming pools and drinking water systems were overseen so carelessly.
  After a couple years of this duplicity the NDP finally decided local food was something they should get behind and launched a private member’s bill which, instead of challenging any of the Liberals’ bureaucratic stratagem, proposes to work within it. Great…
  Steve Thomson, Bell’s replacement as Minister of Agriculture, responds to such lighthearted criticism from the NDP on local food by pointing to all the money his party has thrown into B.C. AgriTourism! Right… like tourism is going to save farming in this province. What a crock…
  Thomson runs a ministry that’s supposed to help farmers, and yet he can’t bring himself to do the one thing that would actually help farmers in this province: repeal his party’s punitive Meat Industry “Enhancement” Strategy. And apparently the NDP can’t be bothered to suggest this either.
  We’re left with one gang of bureaucrats bashing local farmers while another pretends to prop them up. After thousands of farmers stopped raising livestock in this province because there’s nowhere to process it, the Opposition decided to support what remains of local food production because it makes them look good. And the deception is being carried out to the tune of hundreds of millions of your tax dollars.
  I hope you’re not eating while you read this because no matter how this plays out you can rest assured the only winner in the end will be the government. It’s enough to make you puke.

Portions of this column are republished with permission from Field to Plate magazine, Spring/Summer Edition.
Mischa Popoff

Due to a long history of isolation along the Pacific Slope, the blacktail has differentiated
from Mule Deer to the extent that it has been called “a species in the making”.

This spring the provincial Ministry of Environment released “British Columbia Urban Ungulate Conflict Analysis” for municipalities because of a rise in human-deer conflicts in BC. The deer population has been increasing in many BC residential areas, causing damage to gardens, vehicle accidents, aggressive behaviour and serving as potential vectors for disease to livestock and people. One scooter rider was knocked off his ride by a deer last year on Salt Spring. Deer can be a challenge to manage, because their biology makes them very adaptable to suburban situations. There is the social aspect also, especially for the Bambi generation who may not want to see lethal controls take place. The goal of the study was to find ways that communities can be involved in the decisions to reduce conflict to a manageable level.
How do we determine if we have too many deer? It’s not enough to say we need to maintain a number that doesn’t exceed the carrying capacity of the land. If we are talking about the biological carrying capacity, that would be the number that can maintain good health. That number may exceed the ecological carrying capacity, which would be the number that doesn’t cause permanent damage to the ecology of the island. It’s important to remember that deer are a vital part of the ecology, and there is some evidence that deer are important to the Garry Oak ecosystem, yet too many can damage it and the replenishment of Arbutus. The number which is in balance for the ecosystem, may still exceed the cultural carrying capacity, which is the number that humans can co-exist with. Even then, the number for “wildlife acceptance” may differ for farmers, or gardeners, or tourists and seasonal residents. For myself, in the rural part of the island where I live, I don’t think we have too many deer. Someone down the road may have a different opinion. It is for that reason that the government report included a template of a survey that can be used by local governments to determine how the community is impacted and what type of management they would prefer.
To long-time rural residents of the Gulf Islands, for many years the Black -tailed deer that call our islands home have been easily controlled by hunting in the fall, a ritual that would fill the freezer for the winter, and keep the ones who come within the home boundaries in check. A lack of predators and a favourable habitat have allowed deer populations to rise, making the management of deer numbers through hunting acceptable to most. Deer who kept their distance, stayed away from the garden, and seemingly minded their own business, were spared. It made much more sense to sell domestic livestock for much needed cash, and use the plentiful deer to provide venison for home consumption. After all, man has a long history of hunting and gathering and both were regular activities in days past. Even now, some people still have a regular cycle of hunting and gathering in the fall, whether it be for deer, geese, oysters or mushrooms.
Regulations restrict when and where people can discharge firearms in the Gulf Islands, and laws may differ from island to island. For example, Mayne Island does not allow for the hunting or the discharge of firearms, except that permits may be issued to farmers who are shooting the fallow deer that are there. Sidney Island has a large non-native European fallow deer population which were introduced early in the last century. There was a major cull of over 800 animals two years ago, enlisting the help of the community who built a corral for them, and a mobile abattoir that came to the island to process them. The venison from the healthy deer was sold to restaurants in Vancouver, but there were many deer who were thin or in poor health and had to be disposed of. Their numbers had swelled into the thousands and they threatened the ecosystem and their own health. For 28 years, 11,000 deer on Sidney Island alone were hunted or removed to deer farms.
For subdivisions such as Magic Lake Estates on Pender Island, it is a different situation altogether. No guns may be discharged there at all, and to many, especially those who are visitors or seasonal residents, the deer are encouraged to visit through feeding. As a result, deer will congregate where treats are offered, just like children. This results in reduced health for the deer, and increased conflict with the community.
Reducing conflict through fencing, or the use of landscape plants that deer don’t like, are good ways to live peacefully with our deer. The local lumberyard on Pender has offered a good selection of plants for many years. Allowing hunting and the discharge of firearms is also an important component to control of the deer population in rural areas since we lack large predators on most of the Gulf Islands. Public education to discourage feeding of deer is especially important, perhaps followed by bylaws prohibiting that practice. More ideas to consider are in the report.
The Ministry of Environment report “BC Urban Ungulate Conflict Analysis” is available online at
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/info/wildlife_human_interaction/UrbanUngulatesConflictAnalysisFINALJuly5-2010.pdf

My favourite cow is the Jersey, a small, brown dairy cow known for their beautiful brown eyes, gentle disposition and colouring that looks like someone stood in front of her with black paint in hand and wind from behind. But they are especially known for the cream. Many people have memories of Jersey cream, home churned butter, rich ice cream, and whipped cream on graham crackers.
Historically their traits have been carefully protected – no imports of cattle were allowed to the Isle of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands between England and France. If cattle were brought to the island there were hefty fines, confiscation of boats, and the prompt slaughter of the offending animal. The traits were too precious to be lost to random cross breeding. As people with British roots moved to North America, so did the Jersey cows. Still, their bloodlines were carefully protected and tracked. Breeders all knew each other, either personally through correspondence or by reputation.
The Gulf Islands were world renowned for the quality and size of their Jersey herd. Robert Grubbe from Galiano Island brought the first Jerseys to the Gulf Islands in 1904 from Oregon. He contacted other farmers about buying some of the cows, and Albert Menzies of Pender Island bought two bred cows for $125 each. Menzies then imported from Wisconsin the son of the Champion bull at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Washington Grimmer of Pender Island started a Jersey herd in 1906. He had bloodlines from Ontario, the US, and the Isle of Jersey. John Bellhouse bought the farm and Jersey herd of Grubbe, and as a fan of Dickens named his cows for characters from Dickens books. His daughter Winifred married Herbert A Spalding of South Pender, and they also had a Jersey herd. In just a few years, 20% of the BC Jersey herd was in the Gulf Islands. Other names like Bullock, Price, Smith, Gibson, Evans of Salt Spring, Dalziel of Denman, and Harris of Moresby Island all raised purebred Jerseys. Pedigrees were carefully tracked, with bloodlines stretching all the way back to the Isle of Jersey itself.
Besides excellent genetics and careful breeding programs, the Jersey cows were also well cared for. Feed was homegrown, with grains,forage crops and pasture. Cows were milked twice daily. They were brushed clean before each milking, and after grooming would have their udders washed clean. The milk was filtered and chilled in a milkhouse that had a cold running stream. Butter was produced on the farm and shipped to Victoria and Vancouver. After the Salt Spring Creamery was established (where Embe Bakery is now) the cream would be shipped by boat to Salt Spring. The regular visits by the Steamer Iroquois made export of all agricultural products easily achieved.
The Jersey cows of the Menzies and Grimmer herds set many production records that were recognized both provincially and nationally. Menzies’ cow, Lilac of Pender, was the first Jersey in Canada to qualify for the ROP, or Record of Performance. She was champion Jersey female at the Victoria and New Westminster Fairs. His cow Buffs Lassie held ROP records, and was awarded the silver cup by BC Dairymen Association for her production. Grimmer had cows that held many production records as well.
The quality of the Gulf Island Jerseys was so exceptional that cows were taken by boat to Victoria and Vancouver for agricultural competitions. Washington Grimmer’s sons, Neptune and Percy, travelled to the fairs with Albert Menzies’ sons Victor and Morris. The cattle were walked from the docks to the fairgrounds. Many championships were won for the Gulf Island Jersey cattle over the years. The young men participated in judging competitions along with showing their cattle, and at the PNE Nep, Percy and Victor took 3 of 4 prizes offered for their judging skills.
The Jerseys from the Gulf Islands soon brought fame and fortune, and were sought out for breeding stock throughout North America. Professor MacLean from the University of British Columbia travelled throughout BC in 1917 looking for exceptional Jerseys to start a herd. He selected five cows – two from Pender Island. Grimmer’s Lily’s Forget-Me-Not was purchased for $500, and Menzies’ Lady Jane Champion was purchased for $300, hefty sums for their day. Both cows established several production records for pounds of milk and butterfat. In 1922 Lady Jane Champion held the highest record for a mature Jersey in Canada, and a student judging trophy for all round excellence was named the Lady Jane Trophy. In 1931, fifty Jersey breeders came to Pender Island to visit the Grimmer and Menzies farms.
All things weren’t easy, though. Transport by boat can be tricky. In 1927 a bull jumped off the Island Princess and swam ashore at Clam Bay. Returning from the PNE during a labour strike left cows and handlers stranded in Victoria until a boat could be dispatched to help everyone get home. The biggest setback was the consolidation of the dairy industry in Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley, as processing facilities were modernized and enlarged. The smaller creameries, including the Salt Spring Creamery, closed down in the 1950′s. Soon after the Jersey cows in the Gulf Islands were sold, and except for the occasional family cow, Jerseys disappeared from the Gulf Islands. But in 1998, two enterprising women revived the Gulf Island Jersey tradition by establishing Moonstruck Dairy on Salt Spring Island. To be continued…..

     “The balance of nature is not a status quo; it is fluid, ever shifting in a constant state of adjustment. Man, too, is part of this balance. Sometimes the balance is in his favour; sometimes – and all too often – it is shifted to his disadvantage” Rachel Carson in “Silent Spring”

     Canada geese are a truly beautiful, majestic bird known for their annual migrations marked in the fall and spring by the “V” formations in the sky. Prior to the 1960’s Canada geese sightings were rare treats and Canada geese did not spend their winters here, but now they are commonly seen year round, and are more numerous each year. According to a recent evaluation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Fish and Wildlife Service, the Canada goose population in North America has risen fivefold since 1970, primarily due to a 15-fold increase in the number of geese living in urban areas. The resident non-migratory geese made up 18 per cent of the North American total in 1970; now they account for 67 per cent. So what has happened?
     Since the early ‘70’s Canada geese numbers have been increasing significantly due to a perfect storm of events. A successful conservation program was launched across North America in the 1960’s by various wildlife agencies to restore numbers of geese reduced through years of hunting and habitat loss. The program was also intended to boost Canada geese numbers for recreational hunting purposes. In Canada there are 11 subspecies of Canada goose and eight of these live in B. C., but the two subspecies that were introduced through this program were resident, or non-migratory, geese not common to this area. The parallel increase in growth of urban and suburban communities with manicured lawns, golf courses and airports and lovely ponds made for the perfect Canada goose habitat. When we add restrictive hunting and firearm regulations and a lack of predators we have created the perfect storm of events.
     The incredible crash of a passenger airliner into the Hudson River of New York recently was caused by such a group of resident Canada geese. The number of Canada goose-aircraft collisions in North America quadrupled between 1990 and 1998, and that trend continues.
     Farmers have noticed the effects of the Canada geese, also. Forage producers watch as hay and grain fields are demolished in a feeding frenzy by these foragers, which consume up to 4 lbs of grass each day, depositing 2-3 lbs of fecal material. Last year we planted two fields with oats and millet, and watched as hundreds of Canada geese ate the crop while it was trying to grow. I finally gave up and turned the sheep in to compete with the geese, and now we have two bare fields ready to plant again this year. The ground next to the ponds is especially lacking in vegetation, and the ground is compressed. This is only compounded by the fact that the federal government has been encouraging farmers over the past few years to dig more ponds.
     Now, some might suggest that golf course managers might think a bit about working with these lawn mowers with wings, since they produce fertilizer and keep the grounds manicured. But they are in fact viewed as an unappealing nuisance since the fertilizer tends to be slippery underfoot and muck up the golf balls. One cold day while driving by our golf course I counted over 125 Canada geese, not much less than this years Christmas bird count of 148. In fact this year’s count was much less than the record breaking 466 of 2007, according to Gerald McKeating, a bird specialist who lives on Pender and is retired from many years with the Canadian Wildlife Service. This was probably due to the harsh weather that kept birds hanging out at the beach on count day. In fact McKeating said he saw at least 300 on the golf course just a few days earlier.
     There are also public health concerns since Canada geese can contribute to Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Campylobacter outbreaks. It has been reported that communities with increased resident Canada geese populations also have increased rat populations, because rats like to eat the eggs and the young.
     So what can we do? Increasing populations of Canada geese have prompted several communities to control resident flocks. In the 1970s, the wildlife service began to issue permits to property owners whose crops were being ravaged by foraging Canada geese.   In 2007, Kelowna and Osoyoos applied for wildlife service permits to reduce goose numbers through egg addling (shaking), habitat modification and scare techniques.
     With resident Canada geese populations growing at a rate of 12% per year, doubling in numbers every 4-5 years, we had best be thinking about what we should do. Perhaps the Capital Regional District, like other Regional Districts, should also apply for wildlife service permits for our community.

But where doors close, others open. We already know that olives, figs and grapes thrive here in our Mediterranean climate. Vineyards have been popping up, a winery already here can provide processing and marketing. Perhaps fruit growers can work a similar situation out. The olive grove on MacKinnon Road and the fig orchard in the Grimmer Valley are perhaps another step in our farming evolution on Pender. An independent, resilient and resourceful spirit is at the heart of the farmer.